An exploratory qualitative study of higher education-to-work transitions of South Asian ethnic minority youths in Hong Kong

Abstract

 Graduating from university and transitioning into the labour market is regarded as a rite of passage in the life of a youth. With the global massification of higher education in response to the changing nature of global economies, graduates are building their careers on their accrued knowledge and skills anticipating positive employment outcomes. In Hong Kong, the recent expansion of higher education has given rise to budding academic and career aspirations amongst South Asian ethnic minority (EM) youths hoping to achieve upward social and economic mobility. Yet, existing bodies of scholarly work have yet to conceptualise the key determinants that drive an adaptive transition for EM youths. With the aim to acquire a knowledge base that was intimately related to the experiences of these youths, the study foregrounded their voices through an exploratory qualitative-dominant research within a social constructivist paradigm. The lack of a theoretical clarity in approaching school-to-work transitions has prompted the study to adapt the Person-in-Context model (DeLuca et al., 2015) as it situates the youth amidst systemic facets to reflect a comprehensive theoretical basis of the process. In order to understand how EM youths negotiated an adaptive transition, the job-preparatory and job-seeking stage formed the basis of the inquiry. Employing a maximal variation sampling strategy, ten final year undergraduate and fifteen graduate EM youths were recruited to gauge a range of experiences across fields. The research employed a four-phase qualitative sequential design: (1) exploratory pilot interviews with six students; (2) semi-structured interviews and background questionnaires with ten final year students; (3) semi-structured interviews with fifteen graduates and two local EC graduates; and (4) interviews with two South Asian EM community representatives to garner varied views. Findings contradict the widely held assumption of study participants that an undergraduate degree was a panacea to job acquisition and security as it was revealed that H-W transitions were actively shaped by larger social, cultural, and economic trajectories thereby influencing the capabilities of EM youths. While preparing for the graduate labour market, EM youths held high academic and career aspirations with the more proactive and determined group of youths active in amassing their social and cultural capitals to overcome the socio-economic and linguistic limitations bestowed on them due to their minority status fuelled by their low socio-economic status. They also sought to build a hybrid identity, nurture employability skills, and reaffirm their career choices through prolific and active participation during higher education. On the contrary, the passive and vulnerable group of youths were highly susceptible to the lack of career guidance, resources, and information. During the job-seeking phase, upholding strong career plans with a robust non-academic profile compensated for the minority status of EM youths during the hiring process. EM youths required culturally responsive mentoring, supervised career planning and diverse social networks to experience successful employment. Crucially, the receptivity and acceptance of the host society tend to shape the hiring chances of EM youths. Amidst these structural constraints, adaptive EM transitioners were more likely to exercise agency and resilience through preparedness, flexibility, and resourcefulness to maximize positive employment outcomes. The study asserts that neither educational institutions nor policies should undermine the salience of an adaptive transition in the lives of EM youths whose population is increasingly representative of a young cohort born and raised in the city. Apart from identifying the conditions and agentic roles to facilitate an adaptive transition, the study also offers foundations for policy measures and recommendations to relevant policy making bodies and tertiary institutions in providing support, inclusivity and opportunities to EM youths.